Denmark

Highlights in 2020
Highlights in 2020

 

High impact innovation activity triggered by MI

Since the launch of MI, Denmark’s specific budget lines for national research, development and demonstration of clean energy has increased from 292 million DKK to 535.5 million DKK in 2020.


Update on clean energy innovation policies and strategies

Over the past year Denmark has taken a number of steps to reduce CO2 emissions and to ensure that we be build back better and greener from the COVID-19 health crisis.

Thus, a majority of the Danish Parliament has reached a number of green climate agreements, which in total will reduce CO2 emissions by 8.2 tonnes in 2030 compared to 1990 equalling a 55 per cent reduction in 2030. Initiatives include a 2050 end date for Danish oil and gas production, offshore wind, waste sector reforms, green heating efforts and green transportation efforts.

More initiatives are to be enacted in the coming to ensure that Denmark can fulfil its legally climate target of 70 percent reduction in 2030.

This may include:

  • The world’s first energy islands and more renewable energy
  • Investment in green technologies of tomorrow – carbon capture and Power-to-X
  • Green transition of industry, transportation, buildings etc.
  • Efficient use of energy and renovations
  • Green heating – support for phasing out of oil and gas boilers
  • Green tax reform

Major innovation initiatives and programmes in 2020/21

The commitment to investment in green technologies of tomorrow – carbon capture and Power-to-X – is a key part of the Danish Climate Agreement for Energy and Industry 2020. Achieving the goal of a 70% reduction in emissions in 2030 goal will require innovative new tools and investments in the green technologies of the future. The agreement allocates the equivalent of DKK 800 million annually, to be phased in from 2024, for carbon capture and storage. These funds will reduce emissions of CO2 equivalents by 0.9 tonnes in 2030 and will support the development and implementation of solutions that can capture carbon emissions from sources such as industry and put them to use. The agreement also includes a tender to support the establishment of large-scale Power-to-X plants with a total capacity of 100 MW. This is more than five times the capacity of the largest plants found in the world today.


Private sector engagement in 2020/21

On November 13, 2019, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presented the Danish government’s 13 “climate partnerships” at a meeting in Marienborg, the Prime Minister’s residence. The 13 partnerships represent all branches of Danish business. The Danish business community has a central role in the green transition and with the climate partnerships, the government wants to work closely with the business community on solving the climate challenges. The climate partnerships put forward their recommendations and plans on the 16th of March. Some of the key recommendations are reflected in the Danish Climate Agreement for Energy and Industry 2020, e.g. on Power-to-X.

The Danish government published in September 2020 a strategy for green research with four missions that will drive innovation and research in energy technology. Find the report here.


Major activities in support of the Innovation Challenges in 2020/21

Leading national experts from Danish Universities have participated in four Mission Innovation challenges: #1 Smart Grid, #3 Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage, #4 Biofuels and #6 Material.

Among other things, Denmark has played a central role in advancing the smart grid challenge, e.g. by contributing to the IC 1 Smart Grids Innovation Challenge Country Report 2019 and by co-hosting a total of four events on Flexibility in the energy system, Smart grid solution sprints, Next generation city action and MI energy hack. More information at https://mission-innovation.dk/

Moreover, Denmark has played a role in establishing collaborations and securing European funding under H2020 for the BIG-MAP: Battery Interface Genome – Materials Acceleration Platform. The BIG-MAP Platform is a large (20 M€) collaborative research project, which builds upon the fundamental ideas and concepts developed under Mission Innovation Challenge 6 (Clean Energy Materials).


Other Mission Innovation related activity in 2020/21

At the 4th MI Ministerial meeting at Vancouver in May 2019, 19 DTU Professor Tejs Vegge, an expert in computer based methods for developing novel energy materials, was appointed as Denmark’s Innovation Champion. Tejs Vegge’s field of research focuses on ways to develop new materials for energy storage much faster, which is a key innovation challenge for developing sustainable energy systems based on fluctuating renewable energy sources such as wind. The Innovation Fund Denmark supported the Mission Innovation activities, e.g. the MI Champions initiative.


Public sector RD&D investment